Once again a shower of apricot flowers, the main campus of Shandong experimental high school (SEHS) held the 2019 Qingming poetry festival. Qingming is not only one of the 24 solar terms, but also the folk customs which Chinese nation has inherited for thousands of years. It is the bridge between reality and history and let the people who are busy rushing in this commonplace world stop to look back, recall the back of the ancestors, listen to their inculcation separated by hundreds of years in the shower of apricot flowers. The poetry festival was held in the auditorium on the sixth floor of the lab building. The participants were mainly senior two students. Congcong Sun, vice director of division two, Yan Zheng, vice director of international department, Lin Chen, leader of the senior two Chinese preparation team, Zhenghua Shi, vice secretary of the school’s youth league committee, and other guests and judges attended the event.     

  The competition is divided into two periods. In the first period, there are three rounds of “spring preliminary examination”. They adopt integrating system to weed out some participants. In the second period “experimental flying flowers”, the “Qingming poem chief”will be finally selected in the form of flying flowers. In addition, there are “audience surprise attack” and “ sweeping the army”sessions, so that contestants and audience can exchange and communicate. During the intermission, the department of club also presented song and dance shows, adding a touch of ancient charm and fragrance to the poetry festival.  

  With the lively atmosphere, contestants and spectators were in high spirits. The topic forms were rich and varied, covering the poetries and dramas of different ancient Chinese dynasties and poets. There were not only the popular “I feel sad at dusk, so I drive a car to ascend the highland”, “the girl singers do not understand the hate of national subjugation, across the river they still sing the rear courtyard flower”, “if the general from the dragon city was alive, he would never allow the horses from the tribe to cross the Yin mountain to invade the middle land”, but also “people’s clothes are decorated with the twist of gold snow willow, everyone dresses up beautifully”, “ albizzia flowers know to bloom in the morning and close at night, the mandarin ducks are always in pairs and never sleep alone”,“the flowers filling up the hall drunk thousands of guests, the shine of sword can frost fourteen states”. As for the three succinct words: “spring”, “the moon” and “flower”, contestants felt eager to speak and they answered very fluently. All the  competitors dared to show their rich poetic knowledge. In the end, Chun Wang of class 2 grade 2017 won the first place, and Tianmeng Sui of class 17 grade 2017 won the second place. “Everywhere of the spring city flies flowers, willows get oblique in the wind on cold food festival”. Holding Qingming poetry festival is the tradition which Shandong experimental high school has adhered to for many years. It gives students who are fascinated by ancient poetry an opportunity to gather together and show their talents, and it can also let the people who have the same interest of the essence of Chinese culture read the best verses together and express their feelings. Apart from appreciating beautiful poems, it also helps us learn more obscure knowledge of ancient culture therefore we have to marvel at the extensive and profound Chinese culture. 

  Students in the new era should stick to the thoughts and poetic culture as they cherish the poems. Let Qingming become a wisp of rain, integrating in the new era, integrating in the vast river of China’s vigorous development, surging forward together and never stopping.

Translator: Ann Kong

the live of Qingming poetry festival